North Korea has launched the fifth stage of its housing development project in Pyongyang's Hwasong area, state media reported on Thursday, just days after completing the fourth stage. The initiative, a pet project of leader Kim Jong-un unveiled in 2021, seeks to address housing shortages and improve living standards. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Wednesday ahead of the ninth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that a ceremony to declare the start of the fifth-stage construction in Pyongyang's Hwasong area took place with splendor on Wednesday. The housing development is a key initiative of leader Kim Jong-un, unveiled at the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) congress in 2021, aiming to construct 50,000 units to tackle housing shortages and boost living standards. In 2022, 10,000 units were built in the Songsin and Songhwa districts, followed by 40,000 units in the Hwasong district from 2023 to early 2026. The fourth and final stage of the initial project wrapped up on Monday, with the fifth stage kicking off ahead of the ninth WPK congress slated for late February.
At the ceremony, Kim Jong-un dug the first spadeful of earth, describing the effort as "the mettle of our struggle, our aspiration, as well as a demand of the Korean revolution." In his speech, he stated, "This is just our struggle. Inauguration yesterday and another groundbreaking today ... and now in the lead-up to a congress of the WPK ... we have to make a start once again without a moment of rest for a struggle for fresh creation and transformation."
Kim urged, "We should develop Hwasong District into an area perfect in every aspect ... then model the underdeveloped areas of the capital city after the district as we continue to make dynamic efforts for housing construction," calling for "steady progress to open a newer phase of civilization." He also mentioned plans for projects to open new service realms to meet citizens' growing cultural needs, saying, "In this way, we can make a facelift of the whole capital city and improve its function."
The leader noted, "As befits the hub of our country and the origin of advanced culture and civilization, the capital city of Pyongyang should be perfect in all aspects and make uninterrupted progress." The upcoming congress is expected to reveal large-scale construction projects alongside major policy lines for the economy, diplomacy, and defense.
